The present invention relates to a method of photographic printing for processing a large amount of photographic film for printing.
Here, "photographic processing system" refers to an aggregation of two or more devices which simultaneously conduct photographic processing (developing of an undeveloped photographic film, exposure of an image from aforesaid developed photographic film onto photographic paper, cutting of sheets of aforesaid developed photographic film, housing of the developed photographic film into an envelope, developing of the exposed photographic paper, cutting of aforesaid developed photographic paper (which is called a print) and returning of the developed photographic film and print to the customer) Specifically, it is referred to as an aggregation of integral devices or devices connected by the use of a conveyance means.
In this specification, the word `a photographic film` is used for a roll of photographic film received by a cartridge sold on the market or its developed or undeveloped equivalent taken out of the cartridge for processing, and also the word `photographic film` as a material noun is used in such a manner as `a piece of photographic film` in many cases.
Generally speaking, in most cases, the customer, the owner of photographic films ask the store dealing in services concerning photographic processing (hereinafter referred to as the dealing store for simplicity' sake) for development processing of the image-exposed but undeveloped films and print processing (generally called simultaneous print processing) to obtain photographic prints by printing the images in the developed photographic films onto sheets of a photographic paper, for only print processing (generally called re-print processing or re-ordered print) to obtain photographic prints by printing the images in the already developed photographic films, or for only the development processing of the image-exposed but undeveloped photographic films (generally called the development-only-processing). This dealing store carries out the above-mentioned processing in its own house in some cases, however, in the case of stores dealing in a large amount of requests of their customers, they pass orders for the requests of their customers to the photographic processing company called the large laboratory which makes the photographic film processing requested by the customers received at plural dealing stores. Further, in some cases, the customer issues the order directly to the large laboratory.
The dealing store delivers to the large laboratory the image-exposed but undeveloped photographic films or the already developed photographic films put in a sack on which are recorded several pieces of information such as the customer's name, the telephone number of the customer, the receipt date and hour of the request to order, date and hour to be finished, the name of the film maker, the information concerning which the order is, the one for the simultaneous print processing, for the re-print, or for the development-only, the information for discriminating the frames of the photographic film for which the print processing is requested and the number of prints corresponding to the frames in case of re-print processing, the print size (the print size herein referred to indicates the size of the photographic paper sheets on which the images in the photographic film are printed, for example, E- and L-size.), and the surface finish of the photographic paper (calendered, or silk-calendered) (the above-mentioned information is not always fully recorded but appropriately selected items only are recorded, and sometimes the information other than the above-mentioned is recorded.).
Further, in case where the customer issues the order directly to the large laboratory, the image-exposed but undeveloped photographic films or the already developed photographic films put in such sacks as mentioned above are delivered to the large laboratory. In these sacks usually is put an amount of the photographic film corresponding to one order unit of it image-exposed but undeveloped or already developed. The word `one order unit` used herein means a unit of the photographic film in the request to order, which is one roll of the photographic film or its equivalent at the largest, and defined for discriminating the photographic films on the occasion of requesting the dealing stores to order the photographic processing by the customer, and indicates each full-sized film in case of full-sized films, and in case where the full-sized film is divided into several pieces it indicates the assembly of the pieces made by being divided for the processing requested by the customer to the dealing stores (hereinafter referred to as cut pieces or cut films). For example, it corresponds to one photographic film of 135-type accommodated in the 135-type photographic film cartridge handed to the dealing store by the customer at the time of request to order to make the processing, or to the assembly of cut pieces, which is based on a 135-type photographic film, made by dividing it after developing, handed to the dealing store by the customer at the time of request to order to make the processing.
Incidentally, in the present specification, a developed photographic film has the same meaning as a film for printing. Therefore, in a 135-type photographic film, a film for printing in one order is referred to as a developed photographic film for one roll of photographic film accommodated in a cartridge for one photographic film or an aggregation of cut piece prepared by separating a developed photographic film for one roll (in maximum, the above-mentioned developed photographic film for one roll).
Upon receiving the image-exposed but undeveloped film or the already developed film put in the above-mentioned sack, the large laboratory carries out the photographic film processing in accordance with the request of the customer recorded on the above-mentioned sack. In the case of the image-exposed but undeveloped photographic film, plural photographic films are adhered with a splicing tape to make a long roll for carrying out the photographic film processing. After the completion of the photographic film processing in accordance with the request of the customer, the photographic films are finally put in the aforesaid sacks, one order unit of the film in one sack, to be returned to the dealing store or directly to the customer.
Here, re-printing of plural orders in a conventional large scale photo-finishing laboratory will be explained.
Among cut films housed in a negative film case received from a customer (in one negative film case, plural sheets of cut film for one order are housed), cut films which are not to be printed remain in the negative film case so that cut films requested to be printed can be distinguished.
There may be cases in which a sheet of cut film being shorter than 3 frames (9 cm or less) among cut films included among aforesaid negative film sheet received from the customer. In such cases, the operator must separate the cut films of 9 cm or less and handle them differently from the cut film having ordinary length (being 4 or more frames).
As described above, in the re-printing method in the conventional large scale photo-finishing laboratory, the cut film including frame number ordered to be printed were distinguished from the cut films not ordered to be printed among all cut films included in the negative film sheet received from the customer or the cut films of 9 cm or less were distinguished from the cut films having more than 9 cm.
The reason for this was that it was considered that operation efficiency was reduced by that cut films including frames ordered to be printed and/or cut films having ordinary length (being 3 frames or more) could not be continually exposed due to passage of sheets of cut films not including frames ordered to be printed or cut films having 9 cm or less through the exposure step.
In other words, conventionally, it used to be widely considered to be effective to distinguish cut films including frames ordered to be printed or cut films having 3 frames or more from cut films not including frames ordered to be printed or cut films being 9 cm or less since only cut film including frames ordered to be printed or cut films having 3 frames or more could be continually exposed.
However, as a result of laboriously studying the possibility of improving effectiveness of re-printing operations, due to the present invention, a method of conducting re-printing operations effectively which exceeded conventional technologies in which an operation time to distinguish cut films was eliminated.